You are due to move into a rented apartment next month, but you will not be able to because you have some problems. Write a letter to the landlord. In your letter: - explain your situation - describe your problems - tell him/her when you think you can move in
Sample Response
Dear Mr Smith,
I’ve recently agreed to rent your apartment, and as discussed, I am supposed to move there on August 1stwas supposed to move there by August 1st. I’m afraid I cannot do so in August due to personal issues. I hope you will allow me to move into your apartment at the beginning of September.
I signed a rental agreement with you on July 15th, and I’m due to move into your apartment C4, located on Cranberry Street, on August 1st. I have already paid you two months’ rent upfront. However, the sudden news of my mother’s illnesssickness has forced me to changepropels me to change the moving plansshifting plan. I am travelling to my hometown next week. I am unsure how long I will stay there, but I expect to stay for at least a weekit will not be less than a week.
After returning from my hometown, I will have to complete my pending assignments at the office and work latework till late hours; therefore, moving would be impossiblehence, shifting would become impossible. I would like to ask youI would request you to consider my circumstances and allow me to move into your apartment at the beginning of September.
I look forward to hearing from you soon about my requestregarding this.
Yours sincerely, [Your name]Yours sincerely,
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter clearly explains the delayed move, gives two relevant reasons, proposes a new date, and maintains an appropriately respectful tone. Its main limitation is a cluster of unnatural expressions that reduce precision, so the highest-priority improvement is to use more idiomatic wording and explain the August-to-September timeline more convincingly while retaining the strong, direct structure.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Achievement
The purpose is clear, all three bullet points are covered, and the formal request is supported with relevant detail.
Make the connection between the family emergency, the subsequent workload, and the month-long postponement more explicit.
Coherence and Cohesion
Information progresses logically through the original arrangement, the problems, and the requested new moving date.
Reduce repeated references to the apartment and moving by using concise referencing and smoother links between reasons.
Lexical Resource
The letter uses a good range of relevant vocabulary, but several collocations such as ‘propels me’ and ‘change the shifting plan’ are unnatural.
Choose idiomatic phrases such as ‘has forced me to postpone my move’ and ‘change my moving plans’.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A varied mix of simple and complex sentences is handled accurately, with only minor lapses that do not impede meaning.
Refine article use and phrasing in expressions such as ‘work until late’ to make the grammar consistently natural.
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IELTS General Training Writing Task 1
You are due to move into a rented apartment next month, but you will not be able to because you have some problems. Write a letter to the landlord. In your letter:
- explain your situation
- describe your problems
- tell him/her when you think you can move in
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.